Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale singled out point guard Sebastian Telfair after Friday night's 120-107 victory at New York as a player he was proud of for hanging in during a period when he wasn't playing much.
McHale could have said the same for shooting guard Rashad McCants, who had his best game in a trying season, scoring a team-high 23 points and hitting 7 of 9 three-point attempts. Sounding a little like Dr. Phil, McHale said before Saturday night's game against Orlando that McCants deserves all the credit.
"Rashad's been coming in early, working on his shot every day," McHale said. "That's what I said after the game last night. If you work at it, it will get better. That's the way life is. If you want your putting stroke to get better, I suggest you work on your putter and not your driver. If you want your marriage to get better, I suggest you work on your marriage and not your golf game. So it all depends on what you work on."
On the mark: For the record, the Wolves' 13 three-pointers at New York represented the third-highest single-game total in team history and were just two short of the franchise record, set Dec. 8, 2004, at Philadelphia.
Minnesota shot 54.2 percent from beyond the arc Friday compared with 26.8 percent (40 for 149) in its previous 11 games.
McHale, asked if that game marked a turning point for his struggling shooters, said, "We'll find out."
"It's nice to make some, nice to see it go in a little bit," he said. "We've gone through a period where we've missed pretty much the same shots for three and four and five games in a row. You've got to assume at some point that guys who have been career good shooters are going to find their grooves and make some."
Miller sits again: Mike Miller missed his third straight game for the Wolves because of a sprained right ankle and remains day to day.
With Miller out, Randy Foye again started at shooting guard, with Kevin Ollie at point guard.
Moving on: Friday's win snapped a 13-game losing streak for the Wolves, but McHale said he didn't notice any emotional carryover the next day.
Not with the formidable Magic (23-6) on deck.
"Really, last night's over," he said. "Tonight just starts a new challenge."
Bad to worse: The Magic got 68 points from their Big Three of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu in a 100-89 win over the Wolves earlier this month, and that was without guard Jameer Nelson.
He missed the teams' first meeting because of a back injury but was back for Saturday's rematch.
By the numbers: Howard came into the game as the NBA leader in blocked shots (3.63 per game) and rebounds (13.9).
Saturday's game was the 12th consecutive against a Western Conference opponent for Orlando, which had a 10-1 record in the first 11.
Friday's win ran the Wolves' record to 5-1 this season when they shoot 45 percent or better, compared with an 0-22 mark when they shoot less than 45 percent.
